Nanny's Safety Suit

It seems that the fear of litigation is so great, that teachers are now afraid to take their pupils out into the real world; as the pupils may injure themselves, and the teachers be sued.

That at least is the main conclusion in the newly released Ofsted report, entitled “Outdoor Education, Aspects of Good Practice”.

It now seems to be the case that outdoor education has become “a minority area” in the physical education curriculum.

To quote David Bell, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools:

"Outdoor activities both at school and on residential courses enable pupils to enjoy challenging and unfamiliar experiences that test and develop their physical, social and personal skills. They can be among the most memorable experiences for pupils of their school-days."

Yet, as with so many aspects of life in the UK these days, fear of the state and litigation now limits peoples’ actions and inhibits their enjoyment of life.

I can exclusively reveal that the Health and Safety Executive have come up with a new dress code for pupils, who are brave enough to venture outside, an example is shown above. This “outdoor safety suit” will be mandatory as from January 2005.

This “zero risk” approach in fact is in fact highly dangerous. Children will never flourish, or develop, if they are not faced with new experiences and challenges. Those parents, and nanny’s henchmen in the Health and Safety Executive, who seek to cosset children in cotton wool do them no favours in the long run.

All that happens with this approach is that you breed a nation of weak, fearful underachievers; who cling on to nanny’s petticoats throughout their adult lives, never daring to do think or act independently.

Which, on reflection, is precisely what nanny wants.